The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-22
RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS.

HUMAN NEW NT Al Emo
ONLY 600 JOURNALS PUBLISHED IN
THE CARS ENTIRE EMPIRE.
An the Noted Newspapers Conducted by
Iudependent Writers Have Been Aboi-
t.b.d-OBiciai Satisfactorily Russia IL
Almost Newspaperless-War
A complete stagnatiOn threatens the
! Russian press II is not because nova
DAYS there are no able writer's in Russia.
! The trouble Is that the present minister OF
the interior. Count ID. Tolstoi has sue
ceeded in abolishing all the noted journals
conducted by talented and independent
writers. The list Of the periodical publ
cations that have been suppressed during
the last six years il far more interesting
and valuable than all the papers now lly-
! ing Now there is no originality about
Russian Journals no freshness and none
Of that domestic stirring interest which
i'm the DAYS gone by used 10 50 much at
tract attention in all parts Of the great
empire.
The suspended GolOs The Voice has
left fully 1000 subscribers without any
paper 10 their taste, for none Of them dare
10 defend the constitutional form Of the
government as The GolOs did. In the
sixties. when the car liberatOr tried 10
free the press from the iron grip Of the
censor. Nicholas Tchernyshevsky started
The Contemporary Review, a monthly in
IL. De- .f... tl.lf faP
the first time 10 cOnscientiOusly criticise
the government measures II Is lmpOs-
siblc in this country even 20 imagine
what a whirlwind Of public opinion he
raised as by magic But even the liber-
atOr could not long stand such freedom OF
discussion, and Tchernysheysky was sent
to Siberia for seven years and kept there
for fifteen But the martyr0lOgy Of the
Russian editors aud writers j. TOO long 10
be- given here
The number Of periodicals issued in
Russia amounts 10 a little over GOO. rs
the population Of the cars empire is
l0j, GOO. 600, it is evident then that it takes
l1j 900 Russian subjects TO support one
periodical, whereas in the United States
every 1000 souls support some publica-
ton
RUssIA's 400 PERIODICALS.
Putting aside 200 periodicals published
in other than the Russian language, the
400 Russian periodicals are classified as
follows: Daily, 50; weekly. So: monthly,
s.; several times per week, 4O several
times per year. 1873 Nearly one half the
Russian periodicals are published in the
capital Of the empire. 81 Petersburg. and
one-third in seven Of the largest towns,
leaving for Their Of the great empire less
than 100 periodicals. In the cars country
there are many towns of 10000, 10000,
or even 30 600 inhabitants which have not
q periodical of any kind The whole of
Siberia. with 1000, 900 Of population, has
only two newspapers and bi-mOuthly Of "a
geographical society
According 10 the official statistics fur |
uished by the post department last year |
IN Russia there passed through the mail |
about -, 800 600 copies of Russian peri |
odicals Of all sorts, and 4, 100 600 Of for |
eign periodicals were received in Russia |
Thus it appears that there is not for each |
subject Of the car during year even q
single copy Of any periodical, Russian or |
foreign
Why is the Russian press 50 insignifi- |
cant ~ to it, volume. Some say it is be-
cause fully 80 per cent Of the Russians |
are illiterate But if the educated and |
-chOoled Russians would read newspapers
as freely a. Americans do, then in Russia |
there would be 5000 periodicals instead OF |
600 There are other causes that mako 1
the ears country almost newspaperless. !
In the first place there is no political life |
nl all. and the industrial life there is
m it, embryonic state. Russians have
not 50 much news 10 exchange a. the |
people in other countries have. In the /
second place, the autOcratic government /
Systematically ami most strenucusly OPP
poses the growth Of the press Cars have
always been aware that writers. even
though in the clutches OF censors and
under political supervision, are apt to
think for themselves. 10 argue and 10 {
criticisc Thus they develop IN them
selves and in their readers the qualities
most decidedly Objectionable in imperial
subjects Every job printer in Russia
must procure police certificate OF good
character and furnish bonds, and every
publisher besides these qualifications,
must maintain an imperial inspector at
his own establishment.
I'm Russia every editor Of prominence
mast pass part OF his life in prison II
we add 10 that the fatal ministerial warn
ings. prohibition Of inserting advertise
ments, heavy fines and suspension, we
shall wonder not that there are 80 few
periodicals. but that among Russians
there are men and women ready to enter
the career of journalist which ranks in
danger next 10 that Of conspiratoT.-Mos-
COW Letter.
\ Boston Boy Tops.
One top is named StOnewall Jackson,
because OF an uncOnquerable tendency Ia
ride ahead" of the rest This name